Meanne
| Meanne DeIredescence (Real Name: Anissa Ilistaire) | |
|---|---|
| Status | |
| Race | Elothean |
| Gender | Female |
| Guild | Warrior Mage |
| Instance | Prime |
Description
You see Wicked Witch Meanne DeIredescence, Storm Weaver of Ilithi, an Elothean.
Meanne has an oval face with pouting lips, tilted almond-shaped emerald eyes and a classical nose. Her red hair is long and wavy, and is worn in a deceptively careless-looking arrangement of upswept locks held in place by a stylized red gold dragon haircomb set with tiny onyx chips. She has pale skin and a slender figure. She is short for an Elothean.
She is holding an heirloom steel bastard sword with a shining blood ruby set into the bone hilt in her right hand.
She is wearing a perfect lotus flower captured in full bloom, a slender pair of black lacquered dragonwood hairsticks bejeweled with blazing rubies, a halter-necked bodice of shadowed red firesilk cut to expose the entire back, a multi-tiered gold hip-chain fashioned out of shimmering cascading links, a hip-hugging pair of shadowed red firesilk pants with ornate side lacings, a pair of delicate black dragonwood sandals, a sleek black lacquered dragonwood backsheath inked with a Gerenshuge phrase, an aged dragonwood oath ring, a flame-sculpted gold signet ring set with a single blazing ruby, an enchanting charm bracelet of black dragonwood, a sea dragon charm, a witch ball, a diminutive golden frog, a shadowed red firesilk rucksack fastened with a bejeweled lotus flower clasp, some form-fitting red gold Elothean battle armor with a well-oiled gleam, a veneered red gold tower shield wrapped with blackened-bone studded leather, and a cracked favor orb.
Sword:
This massive weapon has been charred as if exposed to far too much fire, and soot lingers on the blade, covering most of the silvery-blue metal. A night-hued black dragon twines around the hilt, cast in the image of Silduaa. For his eye, a single precious blood ruby has been centered over the pommel. Like the legendary jewel atop Lyras' staff, the gem glitters subtly, its depths a myriad of sanguine colors.
Armor:
Rendered with incredible care, the flame-kissed steel has been masterfully fashioned to compliment a feminine form. A queen's ransom in rubies adorns a breastplate featuring etched, gold-chased panels. The first panel shows Misenseor Abbey's dark and foreboding edifice. Another panel depicts a slender, sickly Elothean girl with her three kohl-rimmed eyes opened wide in a contorted expression of far-away horror. She is lying atop a nightmarish bed of lotus blossoms, turnips, and graveyard worms.
There appears to be something written on it.
Some red-gold battle armor reads:
"House Ilistaire"
History
Meanne DeIredescence was born Anissa Ilistaire, to a minor Elothean house owning lands on the island of Aesry Surlaenis'a. Outcast from the main family branch, and thus devoid of most rights, her parents secloistered themselves on the island of Mer'Kresh. During an invasion, they were slain and Anissa was spirited away to Riverhaven by an evil spirit who had been bound to her mother.
There, she was adopted by an elderly Warrior Mage couple who were racially incompatible as far as having their own children. And Anissa, unable to speak coherantly at that age, introduced herself as Me-An, which became Meanne.
Her childhood was spent climbing trees and jumping in the Faldesu river -- for many years she was joined at the hip by her best friends Gromskull, Glaer, and Powerhaus. She was a nobby-kneed little rapscallion that grew into an impetuous teenager. That rebelliousness proved useful during the Gorbesh War, where she served under Commanders Hartblest and Melvi. Riverhaven, the town she defended, was the last city sacked and the first freed. Accounts place her at the Town Square, fighting three Gorbesh Enchanters single-handedly before giving into their greater numbers.
The war had shown her a preference towards fire, and it had helped her grow. Meanne decided, in her young mind, that she liked being a hero. And so she adapted what many Warrior Mages consider "Lanival's Way," which is an almost Paladin-like code of existance.
Seeking adventure, she became mixed up in a coven of witches known as the Coven of the Circle. They were led by Octa Diase, a 400 year old Elothean who claimed to have survived the Mer'Kreshian Killing Fields (read: The Historical occurance of the Hounds of Rutilor exterminating many hundreds, perhaps thousands of Elotheans and Elves believing in an alternative, largely peaceful religion.) The Coven welcomed Meanne and twelve others as members of their priesthood. They were bestowed titles -- Morak'tha for the women, Morak'thu for the men. The Circle preached that the Immortals had once been mortal, but were powered by the orbs upon which we bestow our favor. Octa claimed to know the Immortals mortals names. All seemed to be going well, until a human sacrifice turned things for the worst. A public outcry arose, and the Circle became hunted. Octa snapped, and went to destroy the Cleric Guild single-handedly. Defecting, Meanne helped lead Octa into a trap, where she was captured by townspeople and locked back into the tree where she had been found, deep in the Forest of Night.
A later skirmish involving the Red Sash pirates called to Meanne. After the incident with the Circle, she wanted a chance to redeem herself. She was one of thirty or so adventurers willing to station themselves on the island for a time, to prevent it from being overrun. These few individuals held their ground despite all odds, and the pirates were defeated. A plaque in their honor remains on the island to this day.
Shortly after, Meanne helped save Ferdahl Kukalakai's life and was awarded Ilithi's medal-of-honor.
Her heroism and abilities as a leader are suitably demonstrated in the examples above. However, during her third marriage she decided to settle down and try her life at motherhood. When her child, Deshian, was slain by a witch inside the gates of Tiger Clan, it changed her. Distraught, and looking for meaning outside that which the Immortals could provide, she turned to the dark arts. Several accounts by former servants call attention to rugs and furniture rent to ash by colorless flame.
She divorced Itosu, and married a Human Warrior Mage named Magmus. She became deeply involved with an organization known as the Anthael'Teiro, and was suspected of affiliating with the Necrolord Velmix. Shortly after, it is believed that the secretive order known as the Sanguine Eye was first formed. At approximately the same time, a reformist blackfire cabal known as the Sons of Arhat became known.
Magmus and Meanne were married for twenty odd years, and bore a sickly girl child named Morsithia Ilistaire. Prone to bouts of divine vision and madness, there are some who feel the girl is deranged. Others feel she is gifted. Regardless, Morsithia is Magmus' only heir and a quiet, reclusive figure. It is rumored she was conceived on an altar of Dergati, which is something so heinous as to give one pause.
During the Outcast War, Meanne was little seen. Reports around that time have Meanne in the company of several odd-seeming mercenarial types, some of whom posessed striking features eyes. She claims that one of her associates was T'ansell, a Forest Elven prince of legend who served as one of Teiro's five generals -- though the man, for all intents and purposes, appeared human. Regardless of his potential background, this man -- T'ansell or whoever he was, blew up an assassin with an impressive display of pre-Imperialistic blackfire. Another of these odd associates, who is held in high esteem by the Rathan Council of Nine, seemed to have in his posession the finger bones of M'vainia, whose sorcerous necromancy was one of the main reasons the Heralds intervened during the Resistance Wars. What became of the bones, or these odd associates, has never been revealed.
What we do know is that shortly after associating with these odd associates, she began sporting a rather elaborate tattoo of a black dragon.
Perhaps unrelatedly, when the Dragon Priests became active under their new Empress, Meanne was suspected of assisting in the escape of General Vigther, and in assisting the Priests in general. Some who are bold whisper that she had something to do with assisting Tropicalo and the korograths on their march on Shard. At the time, Kukalakai was dead and a new Ferdahl had yet to be chosen. Some feel that her helping the Priests might of been revenge for the Tower's denial of her right to be considered one of the Diadem.
Suspicions that Meanne had something to do with Princess Arilana of Zoluren's death, and the death of Zoluren's heir, remain largely circulated. Her husband at the time, Enef, was the lead suspect for the assassination. Their son together, Luc Francois Ilistaire, is a little-seen figure -- she tries to keep him away from the public eye in fear of retalliation.
Meanne's motives for slaying the Princess are unknown. Following a tournament in Therenborough, Prince Vorclaf reportedly offered her a position in the army, which she declined. Why would she lash out at the province's royalty, when they had so honored her? Some claim that she loved an Elvish woman, whom Vorclaf also loved. This woman disappeared shortly before his marriage to Arilana. Meanne likely believed, at the time of the assasination, that Vorclaf had something to do with this woman's disappearance.
On Meanne's husbands:
Maritally speaking, Meanne has had several husbands. This should come as no surprise, as she is a fire mage and thus posessed of a hungry nature. In chronological order her mates have been Arcadessaboth, Powerhaus, Mykas, Itosu, Dritzfury, Magmus and Enef. At the moment, she is single as she finds that men distract her from her goals. Many of her husbands have died, disappeared, or retired. One of her ex-husbands, Powerhaus, wound up remarrying her again in the year 361. While she severed the bond in a fit of passion, he has remained loyal on his end.
Magmus Bloodston, a suspected sorceror and the longest lasting of her husbands, is now a Lordling and Steward to House Redthorne. During their marriage he was suspected of many diabolical schemes. He has since retired to Ratha, and the charms of Lady Chelia Redthorne.
Enef Scafft, suspected assassin, divorced her when she refused to visit him in jail.